I am super excited to join the Owlkids’ team! I love all of the stories, puzzles and fun animal facts inside Chirp, and Chickadee, and OWL magazines—and can’t wait to be a part of the creation process.
To let you know a little about me, here are a few fun facts:
Favourite thing to do:
Read, especially bedtime stories. You’re never too old to enjoy a fairy tale or Winnie the Pooh.
Where I grew up:
In many little towns across Alberta and Saskatchewan.
If I could pick any superpower: I would pause time—so I could sleep in every day!
My first story:
I took my first crack at writing in grade 4. My first story involved the tooth fairy and a flying vacuum cleaner, if I remember correctly.
What I’m looking forward to most about joining Owlkids:
Collaborating with the talented and friendly Owlkids team and helping create top-notch content for our amazing readers.
In the November issue, we told you how Guinness World Records are set! Sometimes an official judge stops by to watch over a record attempt. He or she is called an adjudicator (say: uh-joo-duh-kay-ter.) We talked to Guinness World Record’s Michael Furnari about his very cool job.
Chickadee: Can you tell us about your job?
Michael: I travel around the world, and I verify world records. All Guinness World Records titles have guidelines that need to be followed when somebody attempts a record. And I am there to make sure all of those rules are followed properly and that a record has been officially broken.
Chickadee: How many trips do you take each year?
Michael: I travel about 20 times per year, about twice a month. But we have a lot of adjudicators that are judging records almost every weekend. Records are being attempted all the time and our adjudicators are constantly travelling and trying to verify as many records as possible.
Chickadee: What’s your favourite part of your job?
Michael: My favourite part is seeing how excited people are when they get the record. These are people who have been working sometimes for their entire life to achieve this goal. When they break a record, you see the excitement and how happy they are. It’s really cool to be able to experience that.
Chickadee: Do you have a favourite record that you’ve judged?
Michael: One of the most amazing records I’ve seen is the Farthest Distance Human Cannonball, which is the farthest distance to shoot someone out of a cannon. It was done in Tampa, Florida, and he flew for 195 ft. before landing on an inflatable pad. It’s something I never thought I would see in my life!
(Xbox and Human Cannonball Dave “The Bullet” Smith break a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for Greatest Distance Travelled as a Human Cannonball for the Xbox upcoming launch of “Sea of Thieves” at Raymond James Stadium on Tuesday, March 13, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. The Xbox host of the event was Rukari Austin. (Casey Brooke Lawson/AP Images for Xbox).
It’s time to meet another member of the Super Squad! Let’s say hello to Noa! Read on to get to know a little bit about her.
chickaDEE: What song is in your head right now?
Noa: Shake it Off by Taylor Swift.
C: What do you want to be when you grow up?
N: An archeologist.
C: If you could meet anyone in the world, who would it be?
N: A real dragon!
C: What’s your favourite book of all time?
N: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
C: Who inspires you?
N: Rosa Parks. I just read about her in a book.
Who wouldn’t want to meet a dragon? I’m with you, Noa! Thanks for sharing with us!
Stay tuned to see who we feature on the blog next month.
Have your heard about the chickaDEE Super Squad? The ‘Squad is a group of over 100 readers who help to make the magazine better by giving their opinions and sharing ideas for the magazine!
To thank Super Squad members, we’re sharing a Super Squad member profile each month so you can get to know the team a bit better! This month’s featured Super Squad member is David, 6.
Read on to learn more about him!
David, 6
chickaDEE: What’s your favourite colour?
David: Blue, red and turquoise.
C: What are you reading right now?
D: Spring According to Humphrey by Betty Birney (part of the Humphrey series).
C: If you could pick anywhere in the world where would you visit?
D: London, Ontario (’cause that’s where my grandparents live).
C: What’s your spirit animal?
D: My spirit animal is a beaver because it represents Canada.
C: Who inspires you?
D: Terry Fox because he could still run even if he gets hurt.
That was fun! Thanks for answering our questions, David!
I’d like you to meet Emil Sher. He wrote the poem “Boatiful” for June Chirp. I asked him a few questions about creating his stories. Check out what he had to say:
• What is your favourite picture book?
Choosing a favourite picture book would be like choosing one chocolate in a box filled with others that I know to be irresistible and delicious. I love the work of Ezra Jack Keats: the mood he creates in The Snowy Day and the way he uses scraps of paper to help illustrate Hi, Cat!
• Where do you get your story ideas?
Some ideas are hatched by a single image that holds a seed. I might see something on the street that catches my eye or hear a snippet of a conversation that snags my attention. The sights and sounds can take root and grow into something larger. I don’t often know where or how a story will end but I know the simple joy of standing at the beginning of a story, wondering where it will lead.
• If you travelled to Boatiful, the magical land in your story, which boat would you most like to meet?
The boats in Boatiful are like that box of irresistible chocolates: there are too many to choose from. But I do like the idea of weaving my hands around one of a thousand cups of steaming cocoa and then being swept away by a ferry tale.
• What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
In some ways, I never really stop writing. Ideas and thoughts and characters can surface when you least expect it. So I can be going for an early-morning run or taking my dog for a walk and something will pop up that I stash in a drawer in my head. I also love the quiet delight that comes with a family meal as homemade food is savoured and conversation flows.
Emil Sher also wrote the poems “Notes and Scales” and “Hairpin Avenue” for Chirp Magazine. His first middle-grade novel will be published in Fall 2014.
